1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to handles and related articles for holding and carrying various objects, and particularly to a method of constructing a bottle holder formed of a closed length of synthetic rope, and to the finished article.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally speaking, the manufacturers of various goods that are packaged at the time of manufacture are not particularly concerned with the convenient packaging of their products. This is primarily for reasons of economy, as the modification of the packaging to provide more convenient handling will generally cost more to manufacture and place the manufacturer or the packager at an economic disadvantage in the marketplace. There are some exceptions to the rule, generally in cases of larger and bulky goods, such as liter-size and larger bottles that often have a handle formed integrally with the container, but the lack of convenient handling means is nearly universally true for smaller individual containers.
An example of such is the standard beer or soda bottle. Such bottles are very economically formed of inexpensive glass or plastic, and have no additional features to facilitate their handling. As the beverages contained therein are generally served at well below ambient temperature, the bottles are subject to condensation on their outer surfaces. The wet outer surface of such a bottle may lead to various problems, such as leaving a circle of condensed water on the surface where the bottle was resting. While this may be of no consequence in most casual outdoor settings, such condensation rings can permanently stain and disfigure some finished wood and/or fabric surfaces and the like. Moreover, the wet outer surface of the bottle may result in the bottle slipping from the hand, thus resulting in at least the spillage of the drink and likely the breakage of the bottle as well. This is a primary reason that glass bottles are prohibited in many areas, such as swimming pools and the like.
As a result, a number of different temporary, removable holders and handles for individual containers have been developed in the past. Some of these devices comprise thermally insulated sleeves with closed bottoms that extend partially up the sides of the bottle or can. While such devices may obviate the problem of condensation marks on a surface, they do not necessarily provide a good grip for the person holding the container and sleeve assembly, particularly for small children. Their smaller hands may not be able to grip the container when they attempt to handle the larger diameter of a soft drink can or bottle and the insulated sleeve therearound.
Accordingly, various external handles for individual serving size bottles and cans have been developed in the past. Such devices are invariably formed of materials that result in additional cost to manufacture and additional time and effort in the manufacturing process. As a result, they are not particularly economical to purchase. The result is that these devices are not as popular as they might be if they could be manufactured more economically.
Thus, a bottle holder solving the aforementioned problems is desired.